Accident Elderly Man Dies After Boat Collides with Bridge Pillar in Nonthaburi

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Kaoded.

 

A 70-year-old man drowned after the boat he was operating struck a bridge pillar and capsized in a canal in Bang Yai district, Nonthaburi province.

 

The incident occurred around 14:00 on 27 July in Khlong Bang Muang near Wat Sangwon Pimolpaiboon in the Bang Muang subdistrict. Police from Bang Yai Police Station, along with divers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation, were dispatched to the scene following reports of a missing boatman after a collision.

 

Upon arrival, officers found a damaged longtail boat adrift near a small bridge. The boat had no engine, and its driver, identified as Mr. Sunthorn Kong-em, 70, was initially unaccounted for. Divers began a search operation and recovered Mr. Sunthorn’s body approximately 30 minutes later, submerged about five metres from the point of impact.

 

Mr. Thanya Chansuthep, 59, a close friend and former colleague of the victim at Srithanya Hospital, stated that the two would often go boating together on weekends. Mr. Sunthorn, who had retired, typically used the boat for leisure or to buy groceries from local markets. According to Mr. Thanya, they had set out together as usual, with Mr. Sunthorn leading at a slow speed. When Mr. Thanya reached the curved section beneath the bridge, he found the other man’s boat capsized in the water and the driver missing.

 

A nearby fisherman told police that he heard a loud crash beneath the bridge moments before finding the empty boat.

 

Police investigators believe the boat driver likely lost control navigating the curve and struck the bridge pillar. Initial evidence supports this theory, though authorities plan to carry out a thorough examination to confirm the exact cause.

 

Mr. Sunthorn’s body has been transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for autopsy. The investigation is ongoing.

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Kaoded 2025-07-29